The National Dingo Preservation and Recovery Program (NDPRP) has urged the Victorian Minister for the Environment, Mr Gavin Jennings, to fully appreciate the significance of recent high-level genetic research which found that the dingo may be the world's oldest type of dog. The Minister is soon to decide on what concrete measures will be taken to protect the dingo, now listed as threatened wildlife in Victoria.

Research conducted by a team of internationally recognized scientists, including University of New South Wales geneticist Dr Alan Wilton, published in the journal Nature, explored the DNA linkages of domestic dogs with their wild wolf ancestry. The Dingo and its near relative, the New Guinea Singing Dog, stood out as being most different from all other breeds of dogs and closer to wolves.

Dr Wilton said that the results suggest that the Dingo and the New Guinea Singing Dog "...may be most like the original domesticated dog as it was across Asia and the Middle East thousands of years ago...".

NDPRP President, Dr Ian Gunn, stated that:

‘Not only should dingoes be protected because of the key role they play in Australian ecosystems, it is now clear that they must be preserved as an animal of international cultural significance.'

‘In being the first Australian state to list the dingo as threatened wildlife, Victoria has the chance to also take the lead in protecting the dingo for its immense international cultural significance.'

‘The dog was the first animal domesticated by our ancestors. If you want to know what the ancient dogs which first lived in a close relationship with our ancestors looked like, then look at the dingo.'

‘Having taken the first step down the path to domestication, the dingo was then isolated for thousands of years in Australia and remained essentially wild. Not only is the dingo an important animal to indigenous Australian culture, but is a direct link the cultural development of all humanity.'

In particular, Dr Gunn called upon Mr Jennings ‘... to ensure that sufficiently large, un-fragmented habitat is made available for dingo conservation in Victoria.'